The time it takes depends on how much of the SFCAT you decide to complete and how comprehensive you choose to be in any given area. For example, if you choose to focus only on two or three sections, rather than all seven sections, it will take varying amounts of time. Similarly, if you choose to research only one or two restaurants for the Restaurants section rather than all the restaurants in the community, the time needed will be different. Ultimately, it depends on your team’s goals.

In some respects the SFCAT is never truly “complete” because you can return any time to add or update information. This allows you maximum flexibility for using SFCAT in a way that best suits your community.

A team effort is generally the optimal way to complete the SFCAT. Any and all factions in your community interested in promoting and supporting smoke-free environments should be invited to assist in the process of completing the SFCAT and working together on increasing local smoke-free policies, including public officials, school district health personnel, key businesses, local hospitals, cessation service providers and public health departments.

Local tobacco reduction coalitions across the State of Michigan are also involved in conducting these assessments. Community organizations and individuals will be encouraged to collaborate with a local tobacco reduction coalition or another type of community health coalition to complete this assessment. For a listing of local tobacco reduction coalitions and assistance in forming a team, contact The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), Tobacco Section, at 517-335-8376.

To encourage collaboration, only one registration is allowed per community. Other interested individuals from the community who attempt to register will be encouraged to get in touch with each other to work together to complete the assessment.

In addition to the assistance from members of the team working with you to complete the SFCAT, you may find the information provided in the Resources section of this website helpful when completing the SFCAT.

The first step is to register your community. The registration also allows you to register a group of community if you prefer to complete the SFCAT at a more regional or county level. Registration takes less than 5 minutes.

The registration process ensures that only one SFCAT is being completed for a given community. Registration allows you to access your SFCAT and to enter data about your community.

During any online session, you can enter as little or as much data in the SFCAT as you like. You can also edit and change information anytime you like. By clicking the Save button (that appears at the bottom of each page), you save your data and can resume where you left off at the next session. When you return to the home page of the Creating Smoke-Free Communities website to continue your work, you will see a log in box. Log in with your username and the password you selected at registration. You can then resume data entry where you left off previously.

Yes, the system is designed so that more than one person can work on a community’s online assessment at the same time. Each user from the community logs in with the same username/password. However, there are risks to simultaneous data entry. If two (or more) individuals are working on the same section at the same time, one person (the person who enters and saves last) will overwrite the previously person’s work. This can cause confusion, errors, and extra work. Therefore, we strongly suggest that SFCAT data entry efforts be coordinated by a single individual and that workable procedures be established. For example, you might allow only one person to enter data on any given section. Other committee members/individuals who want to provide answers or suggest changes to a section should give them to the person responsible for that section. Similarly, while all committee members/individuals may be involved in the final review, only one person might be designated to make the final changes and submit the assessment.

Yes, you can edit and change answers both during a data entry session and at subsequent data entry sessions anytime.

Be sure to save frequently - at least every five minutes as well as anytime you go from one section to the next, and at the conclusion of your data entry session -- in order not to lose data. Save buttons are placed frequently throughout the assessment forms to remind you to save your work and to make it convenient for you to do so.

The work can be spread out over as many sessions as you need. Be sure to save your work at the end of each session in order not to lose data.

The online SFCAT was available in 2006.

There is no specific deadline for completing the SFCAT. In fact, the SFCAT is designed so that you can update your data as your community changes over time. In that way, the SFCAT can reflect the current state of your community.

To change information you provided at registration, such as primary email address, primary contact, phone numbers changes, password, and the like, log into the website using your old information (old username and password). Click on the Update Your Info menu item. Enter the new information and click the submit button.

If the information you wish to update is not on the Update Your Info form, please contact us.

We believe that communities of all sizes benefit from completing the SFCAT. The assessment was designed so that all questions apply to all communities, regardless of size.

Visit the contact us page to find out how to reach us by phone, email, fax or U.S. mail. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to get answers to your remaining questions. We appreciate your interest in the Smoke-Free Communities Assessment Tool!